What are your thoughts on Cambridge Health Alliance? Have you had good experiences with them?

Submitted by TheTwelveYearOld t3_10sx5an in CambridgeMA

I've grown up seeing them for primary care and my family lives near one of their clinics, but lately I've been having mixed feelings about them overall. The PCPs there seem to be very good, but it's hard to work with the system.

In my last few appointments, I've run out of time to talk to the doctor about stuff or would have questions afterwards, and would try to message them on MyChart. If I choose to send a message to a particular one, I never get a response from them. My doctor said those always go through other staff and I could write "For Doctor _ only" and he should be able to get it, but not even that worked. My messages would follow on things I talked about with them specifically, but someone else would still have the nerve to respond. I needed him to send disability documentation to my college but since he couldn't respond with the way this system is, what could've been a few messages had to be a whole appointment, unnecessary.

I had seen a therapist with them 2 years ago but it was a hassle to even see one. I asked for one that could help specifically with intrusive thoughts but adding that detail seemed to have the complicated the process and then I just to see any therapist. I had to make a bunch of calls to hold them accountable for the process. In the end I didn't feel the therapist was helpful. Last month, my doctor made a referral for a therapist that specializes with Autism since I have issues with that. I called to make an appointment, then got a call back saying to make one, apparently that one wasn't made somehow and I had to do it again. I'm really thinking of forgetting it and not doing this all over again, and I should look elsewhere.

Needless to say, it's frustrating to work on them and I can't rely on anything from them other than primary care. There are other posts here, here, here, and here and also describes issues with them.

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Zealousideal_Baker84 t1_j747k05 wrote

I’ve been with them over a year and my PCP is attentive and responsive. I’ve gotten a colonoscopy and will see an ENT shortly. Urgent care is good too.

I am worried, once I get to the specialists, would I better served at Brigham and the like. I did try and schedule an ENT with mgh but no one calls back.

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brianphil98 t1_j748sr0 wrote

i go to atrius for my PCP, but the CHA experiences ive had have been horrid.

i got my mpox vax at a cha in malden. no signage, no tents, no general reception. i had to ask the family health receptionist where to go. when i was sent a link to schedule my second appt thru ‘color’ it said i wasnt in the system, but my boyfriend was. i called medical records and they didnt help me at all. when i got my second mpox vax in cambridge, i walked in, and the receptionist immediately played 20 questions with me about why the front door to the building was unlocked, because i was supposed to ring a bell to be let in. the door was essentially in her line of sight and i was the first appointment of the day. after squaring away the door issue, she mumbled thru my whole check in process, after enunciating perfectly fine about the GOD DAMN DOOR TO THE BUILDING SHE WORKS IN.

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HellbornElfchild t1_j74di3w wrote

They've been...fine. But I don't go to them much beyond a yearly checkup. Definitely bad at responding to mychart messages though. I sent them a few appt requests like 4 weeks ago and they never responded. Gave them a call and had an appointment the next day

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necessaryfarts t1_j74m674 wrote

I have had CHA for the past 5 years and had a great experience. My PCP recently left (Cone back, Dr Stark!!) and I’m hoping it continues.

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bananasorcerer t1_j74qyh8 wrote

Administrative services suck but I really like my doctor. Worst thing was being forced to do a telehealth intro visit before I could see a doctor for my yearly checkup. This was Not Covered by my insurance because it want “preventative”.

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Stronkowski t1_j74sm44 wrote

Years ago I signed up as a new patient at the CHA in Malden. A week later I tore my Achilles (though I didn't realize that's what it was at the time). I spent 3 months trying to get them to see my sooner so they could look at my pulled calf muscle. By the time I finally got them to see me, the tear had retracted too far and it hurt the repair prospects.

A couple years later I hit my shoulder snowboarding and it didn't improve a couple weeks later. They wouldn't let me come in to the office because of COVID and only offered me a televisit, which is useless for a physical I section of my shoulder pain. That eventually healed on its own. A few months ago I had extreme digestive issues and pain, and tried to get in. They told me I was no longer considered a patient because I hadn't been in to see them in too long, and it would be 4+ months before I could get an appointment as a "new" patient reminder: I tried to go in previously and they wouldn't let me. This time I went to urgent care and ended up getting emergency surgery for an abscess.

On the other hand, the surgeon I had in the Cambridge location did a great job on my Achilles repair given how long it was between the rear and the diagnosis. The physical therapist I saw at the Malden location afterwards was also great.

Tldr: in my experience, their primary care is worthless and never has appointments.

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blackdynomitesnewbag t1_j7561jw wrote

I've had a mixed experience. I liked my PCP, but I found some of his PAs to be inattentive and dismissive. One nearly missed my pneumonia cause she didn't think that I had been sick for long enough. My PCP retired and I've only seen my new one once, so I don't have an opinion on her. When I injured my wrist, they referred me to a orthopedist that was past I95, which was weird. My dermatologist and gastroenterologist are good. My psychiatrist was good, but she left the CHA because it was a dumpster fire. They replaced her with a nurse practitioner who was way in over her head and had no clue what she was doing. After a year, I left and followed my old psychiatrist to her private practice once it had room.

I'm looking to switch to MGH cause they have better specialists and surgeons and it can be hard to get referrals to MGH specialists without a PCP there.

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x0avier t1_j758sp3 wrote

CHA charged exactly double what I was expecting. Thought it was a clerical error but nope. They have this really dumb system that charges for the service and then the doctor charges you whatever CHA's "facility usage" fee is. Basically CHA owns the building and all the medical equipment and you get charged for that and the doctor's going rate.

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realvladdiputtn t1_j75dnr7 wrote

My wife and I both found PCPs who we love at CHA, though basically every experience with CHA other than our PCP has been a train wreck. Their Telehealth ended up costing us way more than we expected because while the doctor was in network, they weren’t approved to do Telehealth so it counted as out of network. It was nearly impossible to get referrals for a specialist when our PCP was on paternity leave.

Also, if you have any ability to choose, avoid the CHA Hospital ER at all costs. I’ve had the misfortune of taking friends there three times, and every time ended poorly. One friend with gall stones was told he didn’t need surgery twice after serious attacks, which the surgeon he eventually went to said was borderline malpractice as it had started to become infected. My other friend came down with a viral infection with a 103 fever and was told to go to the ER by urgent care, only for us to wait in the waiting room for 5 hours before leaving without being seen or even given an estimate of how long it would take. In contrast, we ended up taking her to MGH where we were seen by a doctor within 15 minutes, and tested, treated, and related within a 5 hours. Of course, if you’re in an absolute emergency, do whatever is fastest.

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jpallan t1_j765k6x wrote

Replying to Zealousideal_Baker84 (#1,716,795)

First, if you don't have a PCP in the MGH / Brigham ecosystem, you're pretty fucked unless you're specifically referred there.

Secondly, if you have ENT needs, you should be heading straight to Mass Eye and Ear, which is next to MGH but still a separate hospital.

Feel better!

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jorMEEPdan t1_j76in40 wrote

My PCP is good for annual checkups and the like, but I had an absolutely horrendous experience with OB/GYN and a miscarriage. I actually switched OBs to a practice with admitting privileges at the Brigham mid-miscarriage because it was so bad.

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littlest_lemon t1_j76l0nt wrote

I have gotten excellent care at the Assembly Row location. PCP and physical therapy have both been great.

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x0avier t1_j76naeh wrote

Replying to FunnyYouAskThat (#1,719,740)

My insurance specifically stated that the doctor was covered but I had no way of knowing beforehand that CHA was a different 'chargable' entity. I guess from now on I need to ask if the location any doctor practices in is included in their services. Completely ridiculous if you ask me.

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5238lpe t1_j77460c wrote

I liked the PCP’s I’ve seen there, but for mental health services I really struggled. I saw 2 different psychiatrists and the first prescribed an antidepressant after I told her about a very negative and dark reactions to a few I had before. I refused to take it, and felt like she was annoyed with me. The second wasn’t much better. (maybe this is me being stubborn, but I was seeing them regarding an attention deficit problem).

When it came to billing, they sent a $600 bill and told me my in network insurance “fell off” their system. As in, it was never sent to the insurance and they didn’t even call or message to let me know? I’m glad I called and got it straightened out, but that was annoying.

Overall they’re very meh to me. I don’t bother to go elsewhere though because I’m a transplant and will likely leave the area before it becomes a bigger problem.

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vt2022cam t1_j77vxtx wrote

I had an experienced PCP and was going there for about 6 months. She didn’t provide the standard of care for a young person, and didn’t understand what certain types of standard STI testing was. That concerns me and while it doesn’t reflect the whole institution, I found a new PCP somewhere else.

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Always__knitting t1_j7mh1qs wrote

Dealing with their online system is a total disaster and it’s impossible to get a live person on the phone. I switched to Atrius and much happier with the ease of connecting to my pcp, scheduling specialist visits etc.

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